Hip Laundry Rooms

Has anyone noticed lately how prevalent a trend the “stylized” laundry room has become?  At first glance, it may seem a little absurd.  After all, lots of us have our washer and dryer sitting outside in our cluttered mess of a garage!  But I have to admit, I’m intrigued by the concept.  And with spring just around the corner, I’m catching the “re-org” bug.  So this may be the year I’m gonna go for the official laundry room makeover! It’s a fact of life that we gotta do the laundry, so why not make our environment look, feel and smell great?

With a few stackable crates, blank artist canvases and some spray paint, you can transform any area from “blah” to “ahhh” in no time flat.  My color picks would be greens and blues. And since I have no artistic ability, I’d just spray each canvas one single color (one in light blue, one in cobalt blue, one in sage, etc.)  Art stores sell canvases in a multitude of sizes, and you can also find plain wooden crates to use as clothing baskets or shelving units for your cleaning products. Vintage crates add instant artistic flair and can be found on ebay or at garage sales, flea markets, antique stores, etc.

When it comes to design, an eclectic mix is perfect in a laundry area. A cross between shabby chic and Scandinavian design sounds like uber-fun. Personally, I like the idea of taking old and/or abandoned items originally designed for one purpose and re-using them for a totally different use.  It’s a fantastic way to recycle without spending a dime.  For instance, if your laundry area is in your garage, you might have an old refrigerator in there that hasn’t worked for eons.  Why not give it a new life and purpose?  Remove the doors and mount them on the wall for insta-shelving.  Pretty laundry products sitting inside an old weathered piece (or vintage pieces - used as art - sitting atop a funky new shelf!) are such an awesome combination. Combining new pieces with rustic, old pieces is - as is often stated in the fashion industry - “the new black”.

And how about using the actual fridge unit as your new clothes basket organizational system?!  The configuration will depend on whether it’s a top/bottom or side-by-side model, but the basic idea would be to arrange the shelving, breaking it up into 3 to 4 sections for each clothing category.  Then apply magnetized labels, such as: “Whites”, “Brights”, “Darks” and “Delicates”. Be creative and make it fun!  It does not have to be expensive, especially if you re-use and recycle as much as possible. Check out local garage sales, flea markets and salvage yards for diamonds in the rough.